New York City: Midtown

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I started early from Journal square, Jersey to WTC taking the PATH train. I had left out Chinatown and Little Italy from the downtown area yesterday. So I started walking northwest from WTC towards the Brooklyn bridge onwards to Chinatown. It wasnt difficult to find out as almost all the boards, faces, shops started turning Chinese along the canal street. It wasnt exactly breathtaking but amusing. I stopped across a foot rub and back massage center and thought of going in (never had one in my life!). But ditched it (all men masseurs ! would be better in Varanasi I guess). So walked on to Little Italy, clicked some snaps and took the subway metro from Canal Street to Grand Central Terminal . Its huge, busy and magnificent. Much like the CST. I can't help making comparisons with Mumbai. In many aspect, New York is so very similar to Mumbai.

I did not look at the map and started walking south on the fifth avenue to go to central park (which is in the opposite direction). So I asked one of the hot dog vendors (they were everywhere) and he gave me an expression as if I was asking which way the moon !. 'Its 30 blocks the other way man.. go get a cab'. I thanked him and turned back without realizing the empire state building is just two blocks away. Anyway, I walked on fifth avenue all the way from 36th street to 60th on the hot humid NY afternoon. I kept closed to the shops hoping the customers came out of the doors bringing along cool AC air from inside on to the street. It was an amusing walk as I passed across saks, tiffanys and all those glam shops. The street seemed never-ending with lines of buildings on both the sides to end on 59th street with the glass box of the apple store as a period. And there was the central park. Soaked with sweat on the sultry afternoon, I desperately wandered across the Central park to find a place isolated from the traffic and crowds. Didnt find one. I am not sure whether anyone can find one. Cars are allowed through the park, and although huge its a vertical strip with traffic on both of its sides. So I just settled down with the ice coffee, cooled down a bit and started reading the book, 'The Climb' by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston. Its an amazing, gripping account of the 1996 everest debacle which killed 12 mountaineers and the heroic rescue attempts. I kept reading for almost three hours only to be stopped by a couple of stray, precocious drops. It had almost started raining. I packed and ran. I wasnt exactly keen on getting soaked and sought refuge in the patio of the 'Plaza' hotel much to the chagrin of the guard who didnt really approve.
As the rains stopped, I took the seventh avenue and started walking to the 42nd street, the Times Square. On the way, I stopped at the Rockfeller Plaza on the 49th street. I didnt go to the top but bet it should be a good view.

Finally arrived at Times square . I was a bit early. At 6.00 pm, it was still bright and an exposure of 1/30 second white washed everything. So I hung around a bit and I wasnt bored for a minute. I walked in and out of the MTV shops , hard rock cafe and a couple of others. There was a man in his 60s with his legs waxed and shining as a super-model's. There was this weird group dancing and head banging with their i-pods in hand and headphones in ears. Nietzche's quote, 'And those who were dancing were thought to be crazy by those who could not hear the music' took a literal meaning ! Cursing myself for leaving my tripod, I took about zillion pictures and only a couple of them turned good. All and all three hours at Times square just whizzed away.

Finally around 8, I took the PATH buses back to Journal square and ended the day with Pav bhaji and papdi chat, all authentic. Just a suggestion to avoid stares and grunts at all the subway elevators, stay on your right, if you prefer to just stand as the elevator takes you up. The left 'lane' is for those who run up the elevators and they get really grumpy if you standing on their way.

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